Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
“Get up,” Mikael hisses, barely a whisper.
My eyes snap open, waking to his fingers against my lips. He’s on his stomach looking in the direction of the fields to the north.
There’s enough moonlight this far out from the city to see in the dark, but it shrouds everything in hues of gray, purple, and black.
His gaze flits to mine and he moves the finger from my lips to his own.
“More vampires. The breeze brought the warning. The tang of iron mixed with sweat,” he whispers.
The unmistakable crunch of grass under heavy steps reaches me now that I’m awake. Out of place for a quiet night in the middle of nowhere. Animal footfalls are far lighter than that ruckus.
I lean into the sound, closing my eyes to focus. “How many? Three?” I match his whisper.
“Four or five. Some vampires are better at keeping their steps light; the other brutes can’t help it. But I can sense at least four heartbeats.”
“Can you take them?”
“Not without risking your safety,” Mikael says, lips pressing into a flat line.
He’s right; I’m still nursing an injury.
Reluctantly, I repeat something General Salinthor used to always tell me. “A smart warrior knows when it’s better to save their fight for another day.”
“Exactly.”
“I could try to bait a Noxlanius to us. They’re also attracted to blood.
There shouldn’t be many in this area, but I noticed two were tracking us earlier because of my leg.
And well, you’re still covered in blood.
That’s probably how they found us. But it’ll give us the distraction we need to get away. ”
“I didn’t realize you had Nox, as we call them, in Eirdfall,” Mikael says.
“When the Wastelands consumed the neutral grounds between our kingdoms, they lost the land that was their home. It seems they split, some going east and others going west,” I tell him.
“In any case, do what you have to.”
“You won’t like this.” I lift the bottom of my tunic, balling it up and holding it in my mouth. I unwrap the bandage around my thigh, then dig my finger through the ripped fabric of my pants and into the wound.
My jaw tightens, and the muscles in my face pinch together. A groan of pain is strangled by cloth between my teeth. I blot the wound with the bandage, using it to soak up the fresh blood.
“Stop.” Mikael grabs my wrist, pulling my hand away. “I can bite myself, and we’ll get the blood we need.”
I release the fabric from my mouth to respond. “It has to be this way. They are highly attracted to the scent of adrenaline, the hormones and pheromones in blood from either fear, stress, or the damaged tissue. Is that not the same for you?”
I raise a brow.
“Yes,” he concedes and releases my wrist.
I roll my shoulders and ball up a new section of my tunic. Biting down hard, I add a second finger and stretch the wound, ripping into my muscles and flesh. Forcing it to bleed more.
Fuck.
My eyes roll back from the searing pain I’m inflicting upon myself. Mikael takes the bandage from my hand, finishing what I started. His fingers weave into my hair, and he grips the back of my head, holding me steady. A different pain blossoms from my scalp, but it helps distract me.
Unable to take it anymore, I squeeze Mikael’s arm and he lets go of my hair. My head drops forward and I release the fabric clenched between my teeth with panting breaths.
With the pad of his thumb, he wipes a tear away from my cheek. I rest my head on his arm as he makes sure the bandage is soaked through with my blood.
“Mmh… I love the way your blood tastes, and I’m addicted to your scent. But this, I hate the way it smells. It will attract the vampires faster. Are you sure it will work for the Nox?” he asks.
When my breathing settles, I take the bandage and hold it between my hands. “Yes, I just need to weave an enchantment at the right time.”
“What about your leg?” His hand moves up my thigh to the wound, then he looks up at me with concern.
“Well, you get what you want.” I shrug, knowing it’s the only way we get out of this. It would be ill advised not to.
It’s the same as in the tunnels. Our survival is more important. The only difference is this time I trust him.
Trust us.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Otherwise the Noxlanius will come for me, too, and we won’t be able to get away.”
“We have to time this just right. If I heal you now, the other vampires will know we’re aware of their presence. They’ll be able to smell my blood; it’s a distinct scent from that of the living. It’ll hurt to run before we can stop to heal you.”
“I’m not new to living with pain.” I raise my brows.
He shakes his head but doesn’t respond.
We fall quiet, lying still with our backs to the direction the vampires are likely to come from. I match the rhythm of his breathing, keeping mine steady, at ease. We don’t want them to know we’re aware of their presence until the last moment.
It doesn’t take them long to reach us. They must have only been a few leagues behind us.
Hushed whispers float in on the wind; the presence of other bodies changes the way the air is charged.
That’s our cue.
He squeezes my arm, and we jump up at the same time. Mikael unsheathes his blades, swinging them in his hands, and I immediately start on the enchantment.
The wind kicks up in response to my magic. I pull it to me, letting it swirl around my wound, and the cloth in my hands to amplify the scent of the blood. Then I push the breeze in the direction I saw the Noxlanius earlier today.
The five vampires approaching us halt. Moonlight gleams off their weapons as they brandish them and take a stance before us.
“How many more of you do I have to kill before you stop coming after me?” Mikael holds his ground as they form a semi-circle around us.
I recognize one of the vampires from the attack yesterday. He had run off, and I thought he might have decided his life was worth more than engaging with Mikael. Apparently not.
“You’re not king until you ascend.” One of the vampires flips a dagger in his hand. “So, we have no king to bow to. How did you do it? Slaughter King Ignatus.”
“Now, why would I reveal that?” Mikael says, rotating both of his blades in response.
“If we sink our fangs into her body,” a female vampire looks me up and down, “drink from that delicate neck and torture her… then heal her and start all over… making him watch every time, then he’ll break and tell us.”
“You act as if I wouldn’t rip your heart out before you could even lay your hands on me.” I glower.
“Oh, she’s feisty. No wonder he can’t stay away,” she says, her short blonde hair rustling in the breeze. “Beautiful even, but I’m not convinced you’re worth throwing our land into havoc.” She moves so fast I don’t have a chance to evade the dagger that embeds itself into my shoulder.
Fuck. I am on a losing streak. Now both shoulders are injured, and my thigh. I might as well let someone break my other leg to make it all even.
Mikael doesn’t engage even though his body tenses and his eyes narrow. Instead, he takes a step back, moving closer to me.
I’m doing my best to ignore the pain and drown out the warning bells that are clamoring as the group of vampires continues to taunt and insult us.
It takes all of my focus, but I finish weaving the enchantment and loosely tie the bandage back around my hand. I’ll need to drop it when the Noxlanius gets within sight.
This whole plan is risky.
Once they hone in on my scent, they’ll attack all of us. Just like when the wounded animal gets separated from its herd and is left to the predator.
Except, the vampires will be the ones left behind.
The pain in my shoulder sharpens into focus. I grip the handle and yank it out. I’m unable to hold back a wince as fire cascades through my arm.
At least I have a weapon now.
The vampire with long black hair and a crooked nose commands the others. “Kill them both. We only needed her to get to him.”
Come on. Come on. I repeat over and over, willing the beasts to show up at any moment.
“Thanks for the weapon.” I do a curtsy, then squeeze Mikael’s hand twice, giving him the signal that I’m through and it’s time to go. I slide the dagger into my empty sheath. It’s not a perfect fit, but it’ll do.
“I like when my prey fights back.” The female vampire takes a step toward me.
“Well, sorry to disappoint, but we have somewhere we need to go.” I back away, and Mikael does the same.
I need the Noxlanius to show up. I’m not sure how much longer we can stall before they attack.
The vampires are enjoying their perceived win right now, elbowing each other and laughing at the ridiculous statements coming out of the woman’s mouth as she keeps jeering. If they would have just gone for the kill, we’d have much less a chance of success.
Nervously, I look past the group to the dark sky beyond them, but there are no discernible shapes.
I really thought they were tracking us, even until tonight. I use my magic to kick up the wind, pushing the scent of fresh blood out further and faster.
Fuck it. I can’t wait for an external source to come to our rescue. I’ll just fight through the pain. Grabbing one of Mikael’s swords and rushing forward, I let adrenaline fuel me.
“Shit,” Mikael mutters, then engages alongside me.
I can’t use fire, or it’ll keep the beasts away. I channel into the land, searching for something, hoping the root systems of the trees this close to the Wastelands are spread further out in their search for sustenance.
I can lure the vampires closer to the trees if I have to. The roots may not be enough to cause harm, but I only need them to bind one or more of them while we fight the others.
There, deep within the ground I find wayward roots. I direct them toward the red-haired vampire from earlier today. They pop through the surface, snaking around his ankles and drag him to the ground.
A vampire appears before me, snarling. I jump back just as his blade swings across the space where my chest was seconds before. I parry, trading blows until a screeching cry pierces the night sky.
Everyone pauses as two shapes blot out clusters of stars. Their narrow descent is like two ballista bolts barreling toward a mark.
The first Noxlanius stretches its talons, each one as long as a dagger, and pierces through a vampire. Its wings snap open, booming like thunder as the creature pulls up and hauls its prey skyward. The vampire wails, but the beast severs the vampire in half, eating him in two gulps.
“Nox! You two,” the black-haired vampire shouts, pointing at the woman and another vampire, “stay on them. The rest of you, take those monsters down.”
I slice Mikael’s blade across the neck of the vampire I was engaged with while he’s distracted by the beast that’s headed straight for us. His head falls to the ground with a wet thud. For a heartbeat his body remains standing, then crumples.
Happy eating.
That’s my girl, Mikael sends through the bond.
I smirk, untying the bloodied cloth and tossing it to the ground. I sprint toward Mikael, who’s hobbling toward me. A gash runs across his thigh, and his arm hangs limp, blood dripping from his fingertips.
“You!”
I turn toward the scream to find the red-headed vampire pointing at me.
The Noxlanius landed on him, clawed foot wrapped around his body.
The beast has him pinned to the ground. The vampires abandon their fight with us, rushing to attack the beast that has their comrade in its grasp. “You did this!”
I rush over to Mikael and throw his good arm around my shoulder. Agony rears its ugly head as I push us both up, my leg and shoulder screaming, wanting to refuse the weight.
“You don’t get to have all the fun.” He grins weakly.
A high-pitched, soul-wrenching wail pierces the night. An outcry of pain that guts even me. It pulls my attention back to the vampires being attacked. The female vampire is being held back by one of her comrades as she fights to reach the red-headed man, who’s gone still, eyes unseeing.
She goes slack for a second, then slowly turns her head in my direction. “I’m going to fucking kill you two! You murdered my mate!”
“Quickly, take some blood so we can get out of here,” I say, moving us forward.
Mikael turns his head to the side, and his fangs pierce just above my collarbone. I suck in air through my teeth and blow out a breath as the awkward movement of carrying him jostles his bite and sends a spike of pain up my neck.
But I keep going.
Keep moving one foot in front of the other while holding him steady. He releases his bite, and instant relief washes over me.
“Your turn.” He drags his fangs against his wrist, then holds it out for me.
I bring my lips to his torn skin while keeping my gaze in front of us. I hate the taste and almost gag as I swallow the hot, tangy liquid. Instantly the pain affecting every part of my body subsides as my wounds heal. I pull away, unable to drink any more.
I glance back, wanting to know what’s happening. The female vampire is running after us with murder in her eyes. Beyond her, the remaining vampires are being torn apart by the Noxlanii as they repeatedly dive and strike, tearing at flesh and limb.
One of the vampires strikes the beast, their blade sticking out of its eye. A horrid screech permeates the night. It thrashes and bucks as it careens into the ground.
“She’s going to catch up to us.” I push myself harder, forcing my legs to move faster. As the pain dwindles, more of my strength returns, becoming easier to hold him.
I return my attention to the rift that’s drawing closer with each step.
Mikael lifts his arm from around my shoulder, but stumbles as he tries to move on his own. I catch him, righting him, and keep my hand on his back, pushing him forward. I look back again and curse. She’s closing the distance between us.
Our movements become smoother as we continue heading toward the Wastelands. Every step Mikael takes is stronger and faster. It’s not long until he reaches back and grabs my hand, helping me keep pace with him.